Friday morning.
Chris was amazed at how perfectly the previous night had gotten – and it wasn't about what had gone on between him and Karen.
It wasn't particularly late when he got back after their small date, but he half-expected Clara to have made some catty comment about how he didn't let her know that he was going to come back later and why.
There wasn't so much as a bad word from her when he came in through the flat door, coming in instead to find her curled up on the sofa, waiting for him to come back but not in a dependent sort of way. To him, it was almost as if she'd finally accepted the relationship between them and that was he wanted to happen.
"Love you, dad." Her voice came out soft and tender as she went up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging them both close together.
He was shocked at the action. Was it the same daughter or had she been switched during the time he'd been gone? He caressed her through her long hair at the back, admiring the way it fell into several spirals past her shoulder blades. "Love you too."
He found her still asleep in amongst the thick blankets that morning. No major mishaps happened the previous night, and by that, that meant there were no times during the night where she fell into any bad dreams. That in itself was an improvement, but it didn't mean to say in any shape or form that she wouldn't have any more.
When he got into work, he felt quite relaxed – relaxed enough to catch up on his marking. What had gone on between him and Karen the previous day held him up somewhat, but that didn't mean he couldn't get it done in time to be handed back to his set.
Coincidentally, he came across Harry's practice paper that was second in amongst the pile and he went through each answer, marking it as he would any other.
It was only when he came to the end of it to calculate the final score that he got worried.
Harry didn't even pass the paper. Not only that, but he was the only one in the set who didn't.
Chris was snapped out of his thought process when his mobile vibrated not too far away from him on his desk. He quickly answered it, surprised to find that Karen had called him.
"I don't think I can come in." She explained.
He sat up in his chair. "Has something happened?" He knew that he had to behave in a professional way towards her, but he had feelings for her. How could he not ask her if things at home were bad?
"Something's happened to Jess's baby." She told him. "She woke up this morning to find that she wasn't moving in her cot."
An icy chill slid down his back and he swallowed hard.
"Chris, I…she'd stopped breathing. Her skin had gotten so pale…"
"Is there an ambulance on the way?" He wanted to know. He knew how quick people had to be in getting a seriously unwell baby some medical help.
"I don't know. I don't remember her calling for one."
"She has to get to a hospital." He warned. "Call for an ambulance or drive her up there. Either way she has to get seen to."
He hung up after she thanked him, and went back to what he was doing.
That was a point. If Karen wasn't going to be in, that meant he had to cover for her, and it further meant that he wasn't going to be able to have any of his sets and perhaps confront Harry about his very bad score.
It could wait – it had to.
For most of the morning, it'd been fairly quiet for Chris. That was quite bad in his case, as when it was quiet, it gave him more of an opportunity to dwell on things. When those things he happened to dwell on were actually not so good to think about, that only worried him all the more. And one thing that had barely left his mind all morning was if Jess's baby was ok. And what about Karen? She was the baby's grandmother. Never mind her, but Jess as well.
It wasn't as though he could go over to their place after work, either. Karen could well have welcomed his presence, but as for Jess, she would immediately question as to why he was there and how he knew about what had gone on. That wouldn't have looked good for either of them if the couple were planning on keeping their closer than professional relationship under wraps.
He was given a small reprieve when a knock at the door cut through his train of thought. He peered up to see Tom had come in.
"You ok?" The older male asked him, a concerned expression already on his face yet deepening somewhat after noticing the younger's unfocused appearance.
"Yeah." Chris snapped to. "Yeah, fine." He especially didn't want anyone, no matter how close they were to him, to know about what was going on either.
"You seemed as though you were going to fall asleep." He managed a small smirk.
"No, not yet." He sat back in the chair, finding it easier to allow his thoughts to deviate from what was going on in his private life to what it was Tom so urgently needed to see him about. He guessed it was urgent, judging by the way he came in and his overall confused appearance.
"We've got a trespasser onsite."
"Trespasser?" It was his turn to be confused. He tilted his head slightly at what he'd said. "What sort of trespasser exactly?"
Usually, security would've dealt with the problem with no questions asked, so he couldn't understand why he was informing him of something that could've been sorted out by other people.
"There's someone in the swimming baths." Tom anxiously explained.
"But the baths aren't going to be used till your next set," he stated, "so why are they in there, or more importantly, how?"
He shook his head. "I'm guessing someone left one of the doors open."
Chris steadily got up. It was an issue that security could so easily have dealt with themselves, but not when it wasn't within the main building. "Well what do they look like?"
Tom shrugged. "They had a hood up. I couldn't make them out."
"Did you tell them to go?"
He nodded.
"…And?"
He swallowed hard. "They wanted to talk to you."
Both males went down to the swimming baths.
"They were in the main area where the pool is. I've got my next set soon, but I don't know if I can start it now because of this." Tom explained, making to go with him but found himself being pushed back.
"You should keep out of this." He warned.
He shook his head anxiously. "Not if it's likely you'll get hurt."
"Tom," he smiled reassuringly, "I'm a big boy. And anyway, if it's personal and they only wanted to see me, then it should strictly be just me who goes."
He nodded shakily. "O-ok. But just…please don't get hurt."
Chris slid through the male side of the pool, emerging out into the main area and finding the said slender-bodied, hooded figure on the other side.
He inched closer to the other side, realising that they weren't moving away from him as he did so. He couldn't help but find that unusual. "You wanna tell me why you're here?"
They said nothing.
The only thing either of them could hear between them was the low buzz of the fans in the ceiling compartments.
He couldn't help but sense a slight eeriness at the entire situation. And why the other person was refusing to say anything yet accepting his gradual closeness towards them struck him as odd.
He found himself within a foot's distance of them, and it was only then that they suddenly wanted to move away from him.
He was quicker, pulling the hood down and away from the other's face. He was shocked to find that it was Clara.
She darted her eyes away from him, not wanting to meet his once bright blue orbs, which quickly became a drained icy colour.
"I-I don't understand. How did you know where the school was?"
She shrugged. "I looked it up."
"You shouldn't be here." Chris didn't care why she was there; she was trespassing on school premises. "You have to go back home – now."
"Oh, and what are you going to do about it if I don't– throw me out?"
"Don't tempt me." He stated bluntly.
Clara was taken aback at his answer. "You can't do that – I'm your daughter."
"That doesn't matter, you're still trespassing."
"So now I'm trespassing?" She taunted. "Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it?"
"For whatever reason you're here," he grabbed a handful of her jacket, "you have to save it for when I get home from work. Take yourself home right now, young lady."
She pulled his hand off her, surprised that she managed to do so.
He was obviously not holding onto her with his full strength, which gave her the impression that he was trying to go as easy on her as he could.
"You're cute when you're in work mode." She giggled.
"Clara, this isn't funny. I won't tell you again." He grabbed another handful of her jacket, that time becoming firmer with her.
She was frightened that he did mean what he was saying and that he was indeed close to throwing her out as he'd threatened to.
She'd never experienced the stricter side to him, she'd never crossed it before, but if he weren't very happy with her he probably wouldn't have been afraid to show it.
"Ok," she shook him off her again, "have it your way. If it's what you want."
"It isn't what I want." Chris took on a laxer posture. "Do you think I'm enjoying warning you to go and throwing you out if you don't do as I say?"
"You tell me," Clara shrugged, putting her hands in her pockets as he came closer to her again, "you're the one who said you'd do it."
"That's 'cause it's my job." He retorted.
"Well do it already." She snapped back.
He paused, edging back a little.
"I can't." He eventually admitted as he cast his gaze away. He just didn't have it in him.
To throw his own daughter off his work premises…didn't seem right. It wasn't right. What if he hurt her? What if the moment he manhandled her outside the school gates she took it the wrong way, threatened to walk out of his life and told him she'd never see him again? He wouldn't forgive himself for that. "I don't wanna do it."
She smirked. "I wonder why."
He decided to retreat. The entire situation was just so complex.
"I won't throw you out," he explained, "but I do want you to go."
She pulled her hood back up over her head again after he'd pulled it down.
"I'm going to leave now but there's going to be a set starting here within ten minutes," he went on, "in that time I want you gone."
He disappeared out of view, hoping that she'd taken on what he said and that she would indeed go.